Movable fire shutter



March 12, 1929. w. DUNCANSON 1,705,085

MOVABLE FIRE SHUTTER Filed Feb. 27, 1928 Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER E, DUNOANSON, OF NEW YORK, N Y ASSIGNOR TO THE J. G. WILSONCORPO- RATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

MOVABLE FIRE SHUTTER.

Application filed February 27, 1928. Serial No. 257,196.

This invention relates to movable shutters for closing an opening in awall upon the occurrence of fire.

The invention is particularly adapted to be applied to a fire shutter ofthe coiling type and is shown as embodied in such a shutter mechanism.The invention, however, is not limited in its application to thisparticular type of shutter but may be embodied with advantage in otherfire shutter constructions.

In movable fire shutter constructions, the margin of the shutter isusually controlled by suitable guide bars which hold the said margins inposition with relation to the wall adjacent the opening which theshutter is arranged to close. These guide bars are ordinarily secured toa supporting bar by bolts or studs passing through openings in the bars,the bolts or studs having heads and nuts which engage the bars and holdthe same together. The supporting bars are secured to the wall by meansof fastening devices passing through openings in the supporting bars anddriven into the wall. It has been the practice to provide these barswith slots through which the fastening devices pass so that the bars canexpand longitudinally relatively to the fastening devices and supportingmeans when the bars become heated. It is necessary to secure thefastening devices for both the guide bars and the supporting bars fairlytight so as to hold the bars securely together and to hold thesupporting bars rigidly in place against the wall. The friction betweenthe heads of the fastening devices, the nuts or the washers, wherewashers are used, and the contacting surfaces of the bars, particularlywhen the parts have become rusted, is liable to prevent relativemovement of the guide bars and the fastening devices at the points wherethe fastening devices are located when the bars become heated, with theresult that. the bars will buckle. This throws the guide bars out oftrue so that the shutter will not run freely, and produces openings atthe margins of the shutter through which the sparks may pass. When theguide bars are thrown out of true, the shutter may be stopped in itsdownward movement, thus allowing the fire to spread through the openingwhich the shutter is arranged to close. It has been an important problemin the construction of fire shutters to provide a structure which willenable the guide bars to expand. without buckling.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide movable fireshutters with an improved construction for the devices for guiding theshutter which will enable said devices readily to expand withoutbuckling when they are heated.

With the above object in view, the invention comprises the novel andimproved features, constructions and combinations of parts hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims, the advantages ofwhich will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in theart.

The invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawingsillustrating the invention in its preferred form, and the followingdetailed description of the constructions therein shown.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a View in front elevation partly broken awayand partly in section, of a coiling fire shutter construction embodyingthe invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 ofFigure 1; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the sameplane as Figures 2. 7

.In the construction shown in the drawings, a coiling shutter indicatedat 2 is mounted in position to close an opening 4 in a wall 6. Theshutter 2 consists of the usual series of movably connected bars orslats preferably made of metal, and the shutter is arranged to be coiledup on and uncoiled from a roller (not shown) journaled to rotate withina housing 8 located at the upper end of the opening.

The margins of the shutter are held in position with relation to thewall and guided during the movement of the shutter by the engagementthereof in channels 9 formed in channel bars 10 secured to the wall 6.Each channel bar 10 is secured by means of a series of bolts 12 to anangle bar 14, the bolts passing through corresponding openings in thechannel bar and angle bar. The angle bar 14; is secured to the wall 6 bymeans of a series of bolts or studs 16 passing through openings in theangle bar and driven into the wall.

When the channel bars 10 and the angle bars 14 become heated, these barswill exp l g udin lly. The bars 10 and 14 will often be heated todifferent degrees during a fire and will expand longitudinally tounequal extents. If the bars 10 and 14 are held from longitudinalexpansion, they will be liable to buckle when heated and throw the guidechannels out of true and form openings at the sides of the shutterthrough which sparks and flame may pass. It is also important to allowfor relative expansion of the bars 10 and 14 produced by unequal heatingthereof.

In the construction shown, each of the uppermost bolts 12 passes throughholes 18 and 20 respectively in corresponding channel bar 10 and anglebar 14, in which holes the bolt fits closely. The bolts 12 below theuppermost bolt pass through openings 22 in the channel bar in whichopening the bolts preferably fit closely and through slots 24 formed inthe angle bar 14 and extending longitudinally thereof. Thisconstructionper-mits the channel bar and angle bar to expandlongitudinally and also eermits the two bars to expand longitudina ly tounequal degrees.

- The uppermost bolts 16 by which each angle bar is secured to the wall,asses through an opening 26 in the angle ar in which the bolt preferablyfits closely. The fastening devices .16- below the uppermost device passthrough slots 28 in the angle bar extending longitudinally of the bar,as clearly shown in Figure 1. This construction allows for thelongitudinal expansion of the angle bar 14.

It is the practice to setup the nuts on the bolts 12 fairly tightly tosecure together the channel bar and the angle "bar and also to drive thebolts 16 rather tightly into the wall to secure the angle bars upon theWall.

As shown clearly in Figure 4, a washer 30 is preferably inserted beneaththe head of each of the bolts 16 and washer 32 is ap plied to each ofthe bolts 12 beneath the nut and the angle bar 14. I

The friction between the heads of the bolts or the nuts and the bars,.or between the wash ers and the bars where washers are used, tends toprevent longitudinal expansion of the'bars,'andthis friction may be sogreat as to cause the bars-to buckle when heated, especially when thebars and bolts or other parts have become rusted. In order to pre ventrust and to facilitate the longitudinal expansion of the channel barsand angle bars, these bars are covered with a coating G of such acharacter that it will fuse when the bars are heated and act as alubricant to render the bars slippery so that the contacting surfaces ofthe bars will readily slide with relation {to each other and that thesurfaces of the bars 14 will slide readily with relation to thecontacting surfaces ofthe wall. This coating preferably consists of ametal-lie gaL vanizing material and is applied hot to the bars bydipping the bars into a fused bath of this material. The coating ispreferably of very little thickness, the thickness of the coating beingimmaterial provided sufiicient coating material is used to lubricate thesur faces of the bars when the material fuses.

As is usual in coiling shutter constructions, the lower end of theshutter 2 is provided with an angle bar 34 secured to the lower end ofthe shutter by means of a series of bolts 36 passing through openings inthe angle bar and corresponding openings in the lowermost slat or bar ofthe shutter proper. As shown in Figure 2, a central bolt 36 passesthrough openings 38 and 40 in the angle bar 34 and the lowermost slat ofthe shutter, in which openings the bolts preferably fit tightly. Thebolts 36 on each side of the central bolt, each pass through a slot 42in the angle bar 34 and through an opening 44 in the lowermost slat ofthe shutter in which the bolt fits closely, the slots 42 extending inthe direction of the length of the bar 34. The bar 34 is preferablyprovided with a coating of galvanizing material of the same character asthat applied to the channel bars 10 and the angle bars 14 to provide alubricant to render the bar 34 slippery when heated to a hightemperature so that it will readily expand longitudinally on each sideof the central bolt 36.

Preferably a washer 46 is inserted beneath the head of each of the bolts36, and a Washer 48 also is inserted beneath each of the nuts on thesebolts to prevent removal of the lubricant by abrasion when the nuts aretightened on the "holding bolts.

The above construction provides a permanent coating upon the bars whichwill facilitate the longitudinal expansion of the bars under theinfluence of'heat. In the case wherefusible nuts, washers or elements ofthis character are employed, these are liable to be omitted at one ortwo points by the workmen, through carelessness or inadvertence, and thebars will then buckle when heated, with all the attendant disadvantages.The coating on the bars also prevents the formation of rust which tendsto prevent the longitudinal expansion of the bars.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular construction and arrangement of parts of the illustratedembodiment of the invention, but that the invention may be embodied inother forms within the scope of the claims.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention vand havingspecifically described a construction embodying the inventionin itspreferred form, whatis claimed is:

1. in a fire retarding shutter construction a movable shutter and guidemembers for the same, said guide members having metallic means forming aunitary Structure therewith and fusible when subjected to a hightemperature, to permit the guide members to expand.

2. A fire shutter construction comprising and a metallic materialindestructible, but 10 in combination a movable shutter and guidesrendered friction-reducing by heat, said 1116- for the sides of theshutter, each having mctallic material being permanently associatedtallic material permanently attached to the with n f id d i t it ready 5guide and fusible at a high temperature to pansion of the same.

form a lubricant topermit the expansion of Signed at New York, N. Y.,this first day 15 the guide. of February, 1928.

3. In a fire retarding shutter construction a movable shutter, guidingdevices therefor, W'ALTER E. DUN CAN SON

